Across Long Island, countless companies are advertising “1-day” garage floor coatings as the ultimate in speed and convenience. But that quick turnaround often comes with hidden compromises. Many of these fast-install systems skip crucial steps—most notably moisture mitigation—to get the job done faster.
By applying quick-curing polyaspartic or polyurea coatings directly to bare concrete without a (slower-curing) moisture-mitigating epoxy primer, these installers create a system that looks great on day one but may start to fail within months. Moisture trapped inside or below the slab eventually builds pressure beneath the coating, causing it to separate from the surface.
Why Fast-Curing Coatings Create Risk
Polyaspartic and polyurea coatings cure extremely quickly. While that fast cure time makes them convenient (allowing for “1-day” installs), it also limits how deeply these coatings can penetrate the concrete. In addition, polyurea-polyaspartics can only be applied thinly! Without a thick, deeply-penetrating primer coat, the garage floor coating remains vulnerable. As vapor pressure builds over time, it forces the weak primer coating to bubble, peel, or delaminate entirely.
Even the manufacturers of these products—ArmorPoxy and VersaFlex—clearly state that polyaspartics and polyureas are designed to be topcoats only, not primers.
What the Experts and Industry Standards Require
Leading coating manufacturers like Sherwin-Williams (General Polymers), Benjamin Moore (Corotech), Sika, BASF, Euclid Chemical, Tnemec, Stonhard, and Eco-CorFlex all recommend two essential steps: test every slab for moisture and apply a 100%-solids, moisture-mitigating epoxy vapor barrier primer before any polyaspartic or polyurea topcoat.
Industry organizations agree. ASTM International, the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI), and AMPP all require moisture testing, proper surface preparation, and vapor barrier application as part of a compliant coating system. ASTM F3010 specifically defines the standard for moisture control beneath resinous coatings.
How Timeless Concrete Coatings Does It Right
At Timeless Concrete Coatings, we’re a 2-day company because quality takes time. Every slab is moisture-tested before coating, and when needed, we apply a true epoxy vapor barrier like Eco-CorFlex MME—engineered to handle up to 100% RH and 20+ lbs MVER. Our coatings are installed to standard, and our warranties include moisture protection that actually applies to real-world Long Island conditions.
A 1-day garage floor coating may look good at first, but only a properly prepared floor will stay that way for decades.
Don’t Pay the Price for a Fast Job
A fast garage floor coating may look good at first, but skipping the primer guarantees long-term failure. When it comes to protecting your investment, choose expertise over speed.
GarageFloorCoating.com follows industry standards, uses manufacturer-approved systems, and delivers coatings backed by science—not shortcuts. Choose the company that does it right the first time, so your floor looks incredible and stays that way for decades.